Kite with improved tailpiece connector

Abstract

A kite tailpiece connector includes a piece of flexible sheet material forming a pocket for receiving the rear end of the keel strut and also forming a transverse sleeve for receiving the kite's cross strut. The cross strut includes a connector member and cross strut elements. The connector member is located in the transverse sleeve, and it connects the cross strut members together. Replaceable spacer member on the connector member determine the overall length of the cross strut, and thus determine the draft of the kite.

I claim: 
     
       1. A kite having a sail, a keel strut having a rear end, tailpiece connector means attached directly to the sail for receiving the rear end of the keel strut, said tailpiece connector means including a piece of sheet material forming a pocket which receives the rear end of the keel strut, said piece of sheet material also forming a transverse sleeve, and a cross strut extending through said transverse sleeve. 
     
     
       2. A kite according to claim 1 having a bridle string looped around said piece of sheet material. 
     
     
       3. A kite according to claim 1 wherein said keel strut extends aft of said cross strut, and at least one bridle string is looped around said keel strut and cross strut at their intersection. 
     
     
       4. A kite according to claim 1 wherein the keel strut extends aft beyond the transverse sleeve. 
     
     
       5. A kite according to claim 1 wherein portions of the piece of sheet material extend aft beyond said transverse sleeve. 
     
     
       6. A kite according to claim 1 in which the sail of the kite has its trailing edge aligned with said transverse sleeve. 
     
     
       7. A kite according to claim 1 wherein the cross strut includes two strut elements connected together by a connector, said connector being positioned in said transverse sleeve of sheet material. 
     
     
       8. A kite according to claim 7 wherein said connector is provided with spacer means for abutting said strut elements at their inboard ends. 
     
     
       9. A kite according to claim 7 wherein each of the strut elements have bores, and the connector has opposite ends inserted in said bores. 
     
     
       10. A kite according to claim 7 having retainer means for keeping said cross strut in said transverse sleeve. 
     
     
       11. A kite according to claim 10 wherein each of the strut elements has a bore, and the connector has opposite ends inserted in said bores. 
     
     
       12. A kite according to claim 11 wherein the retainer means incudes two retainer members mounted externally on said cross strut on opposite edges of said piece of sheet material to prevent the cross strut from sliding in said transverse sleeve. 
     
     
       13. A kite according to claim 10 wherein the retainer means is a retainer member which extends perpendicularly through the connector and through the transverse sleeve. 
     
     
       14. A kite according to claim 13 wherein the retainer means is a resilient tube which provides a shock absorbing separator between the cross strut elements. 
     
     
       15. A kite according to claim 10 wherein the retainer means incudes two retainer members mounted externally on said connector on opposite edges of said piece of sheet material to prevent the connector from sliding in said transverse sleeve. 
     
     
       16. A kite according to claim 7 wherein the connector has a bore which receives said strut elements. 
     
     
       17. A kite according to claim 16 having removable spacer means located in said bore to limit the distance the strut elements extend into said bore. 
     
     
       18. A kite according to claim 1 wherein there are two bridle strings, said kite having wing struts for stiffening leading edges of the sail, a pair of rear wing strut connectors which connect outboard ends of the cross strut elements to the wing struts, a forward cross strut, a pair of forward wing strut connectors which connect the ends of the forward cross strut to the wing struts, and two bridle assemblies which each include (i) a first bridle string extending forwardly from the tailpiece connector means, (ii) a second bridle string extending forwardly from a said forward wing strut connector, and (iii) a third bridle string extending forwardly from a said rear wing strut connector; said strings of each said bridle assembly having their forward ends connected together.